Home told to improve

A care home has come under fire by inspectors and has been told it must make changes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) made an unannounced visit to the Fleetwood Road home and found service provision was ‘not safe’ and staff were stretched at lunchtime, – although residents had no concerns.

People we spoke with told us: ‘Yes, they look after me very well here’

A report from inspectors praised aspects of the home, and said staff had the knowledge to meet residents’ needs. It stated: “We asked people who lived at Thistleton Lodge whether the staff were kind, caring and knew about their preferences.

“People we spoke with told us: ‘Yes, they look after me very well here’.”

But the report said the service was not safe, and, when visited, staff seemed stretched to provide enough support for people over lunchtime.

It said the service was not always caring, and people’s preferences were not always taken into account.

The report said there was a “calm atmosphere and open culture” in the home, but said it had not identified and addressed the issues the CQC had found during its inspection.

The CQC visited the home earlier this year, and said it required improvements in every key assessment area.

The watchdog had taken enforcement action against following an inspection last year, relating to the management of medication, then a subsequent visit found the home to be compliant and meeting standards.

But the latest unannounced visit found the Fleetwood Road home must improve once more.

A statement from Thistleton Lodge ltd said: “Thistleton Lodge underwent a routine unannounced inspection on January 26. A number of issues were highlighted under CQC’s revised inspection methods.

“All highlighted issues have been resolved and incorporated into operational policies and procedures.

“Management and staff remain committed to our service users and are keen for these items to be reflected on further inspection by CQC.”